Introduction
District & municipality in Champasak province, LaosPakse
ປາກເຊDistrict & municipalityPakse DistrictChampasak Palace Hotel, Pakse, formerly the palace of Prince Boun Oum Na ChampassakPakseLocation in LaosCoordinates: 15°07′N 105°47′E / 15.117°N 105.783°E / 15.117; 105.783Country LaosProvinceChampasak provinceDistrictPakse districtPopulation (2015) • Total77,900 • ReligionsBuddhismTime zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Pakse (or Pakxe; French: Paksé; Laotian: ປາກເຊ [pȁːk séː] 'mouth of the river') is the capital and most populous city of the southern Laotian province of Champasak. Located at the confluence of the Xe Don and Mekong Rivers, the district had a population of approximately 77,900 at the 2015 Laotian census.
History
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The French established an administrative outpost in Pakse in 1905. The city was the capital of the Lao Kingdom of Champasak until 1946 when the Kingdom of Laos was formed. After the Franco-Thai war the French ceded Preah Vihear Province, formerly belonging to the French protectorate of Cambodia, and the part of Champasak Province located on the other side of the Mekong river from Pakse, which had been part of Laos, to Thailand.
Demographics
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In 1943, 62% of the population of Pakse were Vietnamese. Today, Pakse is a centre of the Laotian Chinese community, with a large number of businesses being owned by Laotians of Chinese ancestry.
Religion
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Rows of golden statues of the Buddha seated, with yellow and red flowers, at Wat Phou Salao (Golden Buddha temple), in Pakse.
The population is predominantly Buddhist and the city has temples. These include: Wat Luang, which was built in 1935 and is the largest temple in Pakse, and the Chinese temple Wat Sopsé.
Infrastructure
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Health[edit]
There are 2 hospitals in the city.
Transportation[edit]
Pakse International Airport construction was completed on 2 November 2009.
